


To be Grey

by sapphireeaglequill



Series: To be Grey - AU [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Albus Dumbledore Bashing, Alchemy, Crafting Magic, Don’t-Give-Two-Shits Clara, Elemental Magics, Gen, Harry is a Little Shit, Harry rides the train with someone different, Intelligent Harry Potter, Magic Creation, Magically Powerful Harry Potter, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Mentor Clara, Other, Ron Weasley Bashing, Severus needs a drink
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:28:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23056252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphireeaglequill/pseuds/sapphireeaglequill
Summary: What if Harry had sat with someone else on his first train ride to Hogwarts? What if that someone was a no-nonsense 2nd year Ravenclaw that doesn’t give two shits about other people’s opinions of her? What if she explained the Hogwarts houses to Harry as unbiased as possible?This is that story.
Relationships: Not Decided
Series: To be Grey - AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1656958
Comments: 34
Kudos: 274





	1. The Train Ride

**Author's Note:**

> Hi~, I don't own Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling does. I only own my OC and this fanfic. I hope you enjoy it~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi~, it been awhile hasn’t it? About a year or so, I believe...  
> Anyway, this is something new that I literally wrote and posted in 5 hours. I would love any feed back you’ve got so long as it isn’t purposefully antagonistic.  
> I hope you enjoy it~~

The compartment door slid open after a quiet knock and no answer. A tiny head peeks into the compartment, curious and cautious. Little eyes see a young girl, working diligently and single-mindedly at the thing in her hand. There are fabrics and spools of thread all around her, pieces of fluff thrown about, and a small collection of tiny dolls and stuffed animals on the seat across from her. No one else was in there with her. 

The little eyes stare, captivated by the movements of her hands, of watching the needle and thread dance in her palm, in and out and around the fabric she holds. He stares, fixated and trapped where he was, unable to look away. 

She completes her task, sighing as she does so. She moves to get started on the next piece of her self-imposed puzzle, and sees the little eyes, the little jewel colored eyes, staring at her from the door. She tilts her head, stares with her own jewel colored eyes for a moment, and smiles softly. 

The owner of the little eyes jolts, he’s been caught. He starts to lower his eyes and close the door, cause there is no way the pretty girl will welcome him. She seemed much older than him, and starring little boys are creepy and unwanted. His Aunt said so. 

(But his Aunt had been wrong before, hadn’t she?)

“You can come in, if you want.” The girl almost whispered her words, her voice soft and gentle like the wind. It stops the boy in his tracks, captivated once more. “You can stay too, if you don’t mind me crafting for most of the train ride.” He looks back up, and finds her pretty face smiling gently and invitingly at him. His jeweled eyes looked into her own, cautious but longing. 

“Would-“ He paused, not liking how scratchy his voice was compared to her’s. So he lowered his voice, and began to speak slowly. “Would you mind helping me get my trunk up? Or me asking you questions about Hogwarts?” He looked at her hopefully. 

She smiled, and stood. “I wouldn’t mind helping you or answering your questions.” She beckoned him in, and he opened the compartment more and began to drag his trunk in. “Just keep in mind, that I won’t have the answer for everything. But I’ll try my best to answer them truthfully and without bias unless you ask for my opinion.” 

The boy froze. 

(The train started moving.)

He was in shock, and it showed on his face, in his eyes. The girl continued to put his trunk away, ignoring his shock and continuing with her task. When done, the boy had recovered from his shock and was staring at her with a piercing and … look on his face. The girl smiled again, and motioned for him to sit with her completed dolls and stuffed animals. 

The boy stared at them for a bit, then began to rearrange them. He moved the dolls closer to the door, then the stuffed animals, to make room for himself by the window. 

The girl had sat back down in her seat, with just a short pile of fabric between her and the window. “Do you know your first question?”

The boy stared at her from his seat, contemplative. “How many years have you been at Hogwarts?”

“Just the one.”

His head tilted, curious. “Just the one? So, you're a second year?”

“Yes, I am.” She continued her sewing. 

“Would you tell me about the Houses? Like, how they get along with each other, and… what their common traits are?” 

She looked up at him. He was on the edge of his seat. 

(She had said that she would be as unbiased as possible. That she would only give her opinion if it was asked for.)

(He had not asked for her opinion. This was a test.)

(Will she keep her word?)

She smirked, amused, eyeing the boy across from her. He smirked back, eyes challenging and excited, wanting, longing. 

“Hmm. Well, as you might know, there are four Houses. Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Gryffindor. The badger, the eagle, the snake, and the lion. The clan, the flock, the den, and the pride.

“Hufflepuff is the house of the badgers, the clan. The house colors are yellow, for wheat, and black, for soil. Students from this house are known for valuing hard work, dedication, patience, loyalty, and fair play rather than a particular aptitude in its members. It was founded by Helga Hufflepuff, one of the four founders of Hogwarts. It is said that when the founders were discussing what types of students would go to their house, Lady Hufflepuff had said that she would “take the lot”. This makes Hufflepuff the most inclusive, tolerant, and accepting of the houses. 

“Ravenclaw is the house of the eagles, the flock. The house colors are blue, for the sky, and bronze, for eagle feathers. Students from this house are known for their wit, intelligence, wisdom, and learning capabilities. It was founded by Rowena Ravenclaw, the most academically inclined of the Hogwarts founders. As such, this makes Ravenclaw the most academically inclined house of the four, where all the students there are academically motivated and/or talented in some way.

“Slytherin is the house of the snakes, the den. The house colors are green and silver, and there are no clear-cut symbolizations behind them though there are a lot of theories. It’s founder was Salazar Slytherin, the Hogwarts founder who is said to have ordered the sorting hat to place students with certain characteristics into his house. Those characteristics included cunning, resourcefulness, ambition, and self-preservation. This is the most political house, as it is mostly comprised of Purebloods and has the lowest Muggleborn intake of all of houses.

“And lastly, Gryffindor is the house of the lions, the pride. The house colors are red and gold, but again, doesn’t have any clear-cut symbolism tied to it. It’s founder was Godric Gryffindor, the last founder, who is also said to have ordered the sorting hat to place students of certain characteristics into his house. In Lord Gryffindor’s case, he had wanted students who were courageous, brave, determined, and chivalrous to be in his house. This is the most athletically inclined house, and it's students are known for excelling more at practical school work than the theoretical side of things.”

The girl took a break, having to catch her breath. The boy stared at her with wide, bejeweled eyes that sparkled with… something that neither of them could identify. 

(Several people had opened the compartment door during her explanation. Both of them had ignored them, and they had all gone away.)

(One of them was a red haired boy, who had only seen and heard the girl. He had closed the door immediately. After all, there was no way that the boy he was looking for would sit through a lecture from someone just a bit older than them.)

The boy was thinking, cataloguing everything the girl had said and comparing it with what he had heard others say. He formed questions in his mind that he wanted answered, that he wanted her opinion on. But he wasn’t going to interrupt her and miss something important, he could tell she wasn’t done yet. 

(He had been oppressed his whole life. He had never been allowed to be smart before. No one had ever wanted to answer his questions before. He wasn’t going to let this chance pass him by.)

The girl looked to the boy who stared at her with wide, little eyes. Who was waiting oh so patiently for her to speak. She smiled, and continued. 

(It felt nice to be listened to, to be heard, to be…)

“The relationships between the houses are both simple and complicated. What you must keep in mind is that children are cruel beings that learn from watching and experiences. While what I say is true for most, it won’t be true for all or for you. And that while some choose to act this way, not all do and may or may not be acting in this way in a bid to fit in with their house and not be bullied by their own housemates.”

She stared at the boy long and hard, until he nodded to her with his own serious look on his face. She nodded, and continued.

“Hufflepuff is the second easiest to explain. The students of this house are seen as the “duffers” of Hogwarts since there haven’t been many famous people to come from them. They are bullied by all the other houses and treated as deadwaits most of the time. As a consequence of this, Hufflepuffs have become extremely protective of each other and have no problem lying to professors or beating up bullies to protect their own. And as Hufflepuff is seen as the honest and most trustworthy house, most professors will believe them over everyone else and they will get away with it. It is both a curse and a blessing to be in this house, as you can always count on someone to try to bully you and on someone to try to protect you.

“In Ravenclaw, you can almost guarantee to be left alone by the other houses most of the time. Ravenclaws are mostly seen as bookworms and brainiacs by the rest of the houses, and are only sought out by them if they want notes or study tips. They are not as badly bullied by the other houses, but there is still some bullying from outside and inside of the house. Ravenclaws are the most solitary of the houses and you can not rely on them to have your back unless you have their complete loyalty. This counts for whether you are in their house or not, it doesn’t matter to them. They see each other as rivals academically more than family, like the Hufflepuffs or Slytherins do. 

“And speaking of, Slytherins are neck and neck with the Hufflepuffs for being the most collectively bullied and for having the most solidarity between them. You will never see a Slytherin by themselves, they will always have at least two other people with them, no matter where they are. And just as Hufflepuff is seen as the most honest and trustworthy, Slytherins are seen as the most dishonest and untrustworthy house of Hogwarts, and all the other houses will be believed before them, no matter the evidence. Because of this, Slytherins have become defensive and cautious of all other houses. And while it's true that Slytherin is the most intolerant and traditional of the houses, they are also the ones that are the most discriminated against.

“And where Slytherin is the most traditional, Gryffindor is the most liberal of the houses. But both are just as intolerant. Gryffindor has the most unintentional and intentional bullies among the houses, and are the most favored of the houses. The others know this and stay away from most Gryffindors, you will hardly ever see one hanging out with someone from another house. Gryffindors also typically only interact with those from their own house and won’t venture out unless necessary. They will always believe themselves to be right until forcefully proven wrong. 

“And yes, there is a Slytherin/Gryffindor rivalry. It is convoluted and unnecessary, and both sides go to the extremes to “win” and prove themselves superior to the other. It is exhausting to just watch.”

The girl sighed, seemingly exhausted from just thinking about it. The boy eyed her and sat back, contemplative. 

They sat in silence for a few moments, contemplative and content.

(People had been by the door again, some had opened it, but they had all left eventually.)

The boy looked up at the girl from where he had been staring at his hands. He stared at the girl as she worked on the plushy in her hand. He just stared for a moment before speaking. 

“Why does Hufflepuff’s and Ravenclaw’s colors have clear-cut symbolism and not Gryffindor’s or Slytherin’s? What are the theories behind their colors symbolism? What do you believe they are?”

The girl looked up at the boy with an appreciative gaze. 

“The reason that Gryffindor’s and Slytherin’s colors don’t have clear symbolism, unlike Hufflepuff’s and Ravenclaws’s, is because the symbolism keeps changing and the history behind it has been corrupted by those I call “house politicians”. People who have tried and succeeded in using their house, and people’s preconceived notions of that house, to further their political career. These people will sometimes exclusively wear their house colors and put their own meanings behind them. This adds up to years of different people giving their house colors different symbolism to the point that the original symbolism becomes lost to time. This happens most often with Gryffindors and Slytherins, so Hufflepuff’s and Ravenclaw’s colors have kept their original symbolism.

“The theories behind the lion’s and the snake’s colors has a little to do with another theory. This theory says that each of the founders specialized in one elemental magic and that that is reflected in the colors that they chose for their houses. For Lady Hufflepuff, it was said that she had complete mastery over the earth and nature. So her colors were yellow and black for wheat and soil. For Lady Ravenclaw, it was said that she had excelled in wind or air magics. So her colors were blue and bronze for the sky and eagle feathers. For Lord Slytherin, it was said that he was a master potioneer and alchemist that excelled in all magics that even had the slightest to do with water. It is theorized that he chose green to symbolize the water of the Great Lake, and silver to symbolize liquid mercury or purity. For Lord Gryffindor, it was said that he was a master swordsman with complete master over fire. It is theorized that he chose red and gold to symbolize fire itself. 

“I, personally, believe that the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw colors are accurate to history and appropriate for those houses. I also believe that Slytherins colors do symbolize water and purity. For Gryffindor’s colors, I’m not entirely sure. Red could have meant courage or nerve or fire, and gold could have meant chivalry or the sun. I could never know for sure.”

The boy looked intrigued and nodded with the girl’s explanation. He looked back to his hands and nodded to himself. He asked in a soft voice, not quite looking at the girl. 

“What house do you belong to? Are you happy there? Do you wish you were placed elsewhere? Do you feel like you fit in there?”

The girl froze. 

Then relaxed. And spoke.

“I’m in Ravenclaw. I wouldn’t say that I’m happy there, more so that I am content and satisfied. I don’t have many, or perhaps any, friends as I prefer long moments of silence and peace to work on my crafts and hone my skills. I do feel like I fit in there, as I am continuously learning and honing old and new skills. I was bullied for a time by my own housemates and some Slytherins, but I quickly learned how to defend myself and to retaliate with just enough force to scare them off.”

At this, the boy’s head looked up sharply at the girl. His jeweled eyes looked at her, searching her for something. She looked directly into his eyes, and he nodded. She continued.

“I will admit that I aimed to hurt and scare. I wanted them to leave me alone and to never mistake me as someone that they can take advantage of. I taught them to carefully choose where and who they bully, cause anytime after that I found them bullying someone else, I caused them pain. They should be prepared to take pain if they are prepared to deliver it. That is one of my philosophies.”

The boy stared at her with sparkling eyes, mouth agape. She smiled at him, and went back to sewing.

(He had never heard of such a thing, had never contemplated it. It was eye opening to hear someone say something like that. It was like something had clicked in his mind, like those words had just echoed throughout his body, like it had been ingrained into his mind and soul.)

They sat in silence again, the boy contemplative and the girl satisfied. The boy spoke soon enough though.

“Am I bothering you? Would you mind if I sought you out in Hogwarts? What house do you think I would fit into?”

The girl looked up at the boy with sparkling jeweled eyes, smiling softly. 

“You don’t bother me, I find you presence to be quite soothing, actually. And I would love it if you sought me out in Hogwarts, if you don’t mind me taking the liberty to teach you some of my skills.”

The boy smiled and nodded his head rapidly. 

(He was so, so happy that there was someone that didn't mind his presence. Who finds him soothing and not intrusive like others. He would do anything to keep that. Anything…)

The girl smiled and nodded.

“I think that you would do well in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. You are inquisitive and have wit. I also get the impression that you are extremely loyal and hardworking. I also believe that you could be placed in Slytherin, because I can see that calculative glint in your eye when I talked about the houses’ relationships with each other. I can see your cunning and self-preservation when I told you about the bullies and bullied. I also believe that all of your traits would be refined and strengthened within Slytherin, and that you would learn a lot more from the people within that house than you would in any other.”

The boy was staring at her in blank shock now, his mouth agape again. She smiled at him sadly, knowingly. His expression closed off and he looked away from her. Her eyes softened. 

(He was in shock, because she had said the direct opposite to what everyone else had said to him since he entered this world. He was also scared, because she had seen straight through his mask, the facade that he’s perfected over years of practice.)

(Was he really so transparent?)

(Why was he so happy? So excited? So… elated?)

They sat in silence for what seemed like forever. The snack trolley came by, they had both bought some snakes for themselves, and it left. Others came by the door, and they left too. 

(One of them was a frizzy haired girl looking for a toad. She had gotten an answer, been ignored, and left in a huff.)

(One of them was a pale blond boy with two lackies. He had been ignored. He had only seen the older girl.)

Finally, the boy seemed to come to a decision. He looked at the girl with hard, sparkling, determined eyes. The girl met those eyes head on with a warm smile and kind eyes. Then the boy spoke.

“My name is Harry Potter. Do you believe that I will become what is best for myself if I were sorted into Slytherin?”

The girl grinned widely at the determined boy, not surprised in the least. She stared hard into his toxic, emerald green eyes that glowed with a determined light. And she spoke.

“My name is Clara Beldom. And yes, I believe that you have the best chance of becoming what is best for yourself if you are sorted into Slytherin.”

The stared into each other’s jeweled eyes, toxic emerald to icy amethyst. They grinned at each other, one hidden beast to another, and knew. 

Knew that this day would someday be legendary. A day of chance where one beast broke the shackles off of another through unbiased honesty. A day where a beast was born. 

They spent the rest of the train ride trading topics and Clara teaching Harry different crafting skills. It ended with Clara giving Harry a handmade, leather wand holster for his belt and a shield pendant to wear underneath his shirt. 

(Elsewhere, a Phoenix sings. Elsewhere, an ancient being laughs. Elsewhere, a crystal orb shatters on its pedestal. Elsewhere, an egg hatches. Elsewhere, a creature is born.) 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you think? Should I continue? What house should Harry be in? What instrument should Clara teach Harry?  
> Bye~~


	2. The Boats and The Hall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I know I said that the second chapter would be on the sorting, but it was starting to get too long, so I stopped it just short of the sorting. The next chapter will most definitely be on the sorting.  
> Oh! All parts of the story that are underlined are quotes from the book. Heres my source: https://genius.com/Jk-rowling-harry-potter-and-the-philosophers-stone-ch-7-the-sorting-hat-annotated  
> I hope you like it!

Harry didn’t know if he should be socializing with the other first years but knew that he didn’t want to. 

He wanted to be in the carriage that Clara had gotten into, talking about the different academic subjects offered at Hogwarts and the different subjects that had been canceled thereafter Dumbledore had become Headmaster. It was quite fascinating to know how much Dumbledore had destroyed and how much Clara knew. And she let him think for himself, even encouraged it. No one else had ever done that before. And when he didn’t understand something, she noticed and waited for him to ask questions. She didn’t make him feel stupid or ignorant when she talked or explained something. 

She’s amazing. 

So, as he didn’t want to be in a tiny boat with his fellow first years, he waited till everyone else had gotten into a boat before choosing which he would get into. There wasn’t much of a choice. 

There were only two boats he could get into. There was one boat with three boys in it; two of them were rather heavy set and dark brunettes, and the other was blonde and skinny. The other boat had another two boys in it; one was fair-skinned with mousy brown hair, and the other was dark-skinned with a buzz cut. 

The dark-skinned one had also noticed Harry trying to choose, which had then attracted the attention of the mousy haired boy. And the mousy hair boy was waving at him. Wonderful. 

Harry walked up to the boat, happy that Clara had lengthened his hair to be less spiky, but still wild, and covered his scar completely. The dark-skinned one was now smirking at him and the mousy haired one was smiling hesitantly. Harry nodded to them and sat on the bench behind them. They both looked back to him, stared for a moment, then returned to facing forward, whispering to each other occasionally. 

Harry sighed. He really wanted to be with Clara instead. 

* * *

Blaise Zambini and Theodore Nott had only known each other in passing before the train ride. They were both children of single parents that went to British galas, so they had hung out. But they had never truly shared personal stories or personalities before their first Hogwarts train ride. 

All they had known is that they had liked each other instinctively. 

Their first Hogwarts train ride was all about finding each other, securing an empty compartment all to themselves, and exchanging stories and jokes and childhoods. They found that they like each other a lot. More than they expected. 

(An ancient being sighed lovingly. She/They/He always loved it when a plan comes to head.)

They also before knew that they were going to be in Slytherin together, as there wasn’t any other option for them. And they knew that Slytherins were discriminated against by all the houses, and by each other. So they resolved to protect each other. 

They had found a boat fairly easily and had kept others from feeling welcome in their boat. That is until they noticed this other first year. They had seen him trying to decide whether to sit in their boat or with Malfoy and his goons. 

Well, far be it for them to force Malfoy onto anyone. 

So they gave the other boy the signal, as to say that they didn’t mind if he sat in their boat. Thankfully, the boy noticed before he made his own choice and came over. 

Blaise and Theo were a bit surprised to see that the boy wasn’t all that surprised, excited, or even the slightest bit fearful of the boats. He just looked bored and annoyed, constantly tracking the river bank (and the carriages, Blaise had noticed). Though, when the Great Squid made its appearance, the boy flinched a bit and moved more towards the center of the boat. 

Interesting.

* * *

Harry was so happy to get out of that boat. The squid had freaked him out, even if he hadn’t felt anything malicious about them (him?). 

He immediately jumped out as soon as he had a clear shot at the ground and wasn’t at risk of looking too desperate. He didn’t need anyone knowing any of his potential weaknesses. 

(The dark-skinned one seemed to have noticed though. He would have to keep an eye on him...)

Harry looked around for the carriages as he and the other first years were herded up to the castle, but couldn’t see to find them. Maybe all of the older students were already inside and carriages had been put away? Or the older students used a different entrance?

He was brought out of his thoughts when Hagrid began talking to a “Professor McGonagall”. He sighed. He liked Hagrid, he really did. The half-giant was sweet and compassionate, but he was also incredibly naive and dimwitted for a grown adult. 

‘Though,’ Harry wondered, ‘I wonder how old he is in terms of a giant’s lifespan…’

But again, Harry was brought out of his thoughts when the Professor began to herd him and the other children into the castle. He took in as much as he could, not caring much for the children around him nor what they spoke of. (Though, the two boys that he had sat within the boat were following close behind him. Harry could feel their eyes burning into him.) He was very interested in the moving paintings, and he noticed a staircase disappearing when the other stepped on it. Harry made sure to jump that one. (The two behind him did the same.)

The group of children eventually came to a stop before a pair of impressive doors, and Harry took some time to admire the intricacy put into them. Clara had said that she liked to explore the castle to find all of the hidden artwork put into the stones. She also said that some of them were signs for hidden passageways or described maps or directions to hidden rooms. He wondered if there was a message hidden within the details of these doors. He would have to ask Clara later. 

Again, Harry’s thoughts were interrupted by another speaking, this time being Professor McGonagall. 

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

Harry noticed her eyes lingering on students with messy appearances and glaring at them. He thought this was odd, but not unordinary. When her eyes got to him, she seemed to take a moment longer to study his appearance before moving on. He had felt some need to act like the others, nervous and shrinking at her impressive gaze, but he didn’t. Harry had noticed the compassion behind her stern and hard eyes and didn’t find her all that scary. 

Though he did question some of her speech. Clara had said that only Slytherin and Hufflepuff treated everyone within their house like family and that Gryffindor and Ravenclaw were very fickle about whether or not all of their house members were family. Sure, she described Slytherin to have more of a tough-love policy, but they still stood up for each other regardless. 

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."

And now they just had to wait. And Harry was going to avoid all conversation with his… fellow first years. 

Or he was, but the dark and fair-skinned boys from earlier hadn’t left his side and were now trying to strike up a conversation. 

“Hey,” the fair-skinned boy started, “my name is Theodore Nott. And this is Blaise Zambini.” the fair-... Nott gestured to the da-... Zambini, who stood beside him. They were giving Harry a look like they were trying to dissect him with their eyes. Harry just stared back at them blankly. 

(Theo and Blaise were a bit unnerved by the boy’s green eyes. They showed an emptiness that they had never seen before, not even in Blaise’s Mother’s eyes. And she killed her past husbands to gain control of their money. 

They wanted to see something in those eyes.)

Nott fidgeted with his hands and ducked his head, looking up at Harry shyly. “Um… We… we think that we’ll be in Slytherin… since our parents were…” Harry just raised an eyebrow at him, wanting him to get to the point.

(Blaise had to admit. He was impressed. He had never before seen someone just dismiss Theo’s puppy-dog eyes.

Theo was only slightly vexed.)

Harry’s eyes moved to Zambini, who had started to… giggle. “Haha. Sorry, it's just- Ha. Theo wants to know your name and which house you think you’ll be sorted into.” 

Harry just shrugged, turning back to the doors. “I want to be in Ravenclaw, but an older student on the train said that getting sorted into Slytherin would be beneficial for me.” He shrugged again. 

(It was a good thing he was turned away from them, or he would have seen them gaping rather unattractively at him.)

Zambini suddenly invaded his vision, blocking his view of the doors. Harry glared at him, igniting a spark of irritation in his eyes. Zambini paused in what he was about to say. Harry just raised an eyebrow at him, again.

(Blaise was surprised at the heat that came from those previously blank eyes. He shivered at being the sole focus of those eyes. This could get addictive.)

“Oh, well,” he raised his hands in peace as Harry intensified his glare. “Um, who was the older student that said that? And you didn’t tell-”

Just then, screams erupted from the crowd of children around them and, reacting on instinct, Harry grabs Zambini and pulls the dark-skinned boy behind him. “Woah!” Harry then proceeds to back up with both him and Nott behind him, while keeping his eye on the crowd, looking for the threat. 

(Again, they were so glad that the boy was turned away from them so that he didn’t see them blushing. Not even their own parents were this protective of them, and it had appeared as the boy had reacted on instinct. Yes, this could get very addictive.)

Harry heard the boys behind him gasp with the rest of the crowd when they followed his line of sight after he had relaxed his stance that is.  About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. Clara had told him about the ghost that inhabited Hogwarts and that they were mostly harmless, except for a poltergeist named Peeves. But Harry didn’t see a ghost fitting his description among them, so he didn’t see a need to continue being on guard.  They seemed to be arguing , though .

What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance --"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost -- I say, what are you all doing here?"

A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.

Nobody answered.

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"

A few people nodded mutely.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."

Harry perked up at the comment. Clara hadn’t told him about the ghost individually, just as a group. He would be interested in learning more about their past and present. 

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

Harry frowned. He didn’t like her attitude much, though he would admit that it was effective in getting children to listen and obey you. 

(They frowned. They never did get the boy’s name. They shrugged at each other. They would learn it during the sorting.)

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

And they entered the great hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I know I said that the second chapter would be on the sorting, but it was starting to get too long, so I stopped it just short of the sorting. The next chapter will most definitely be on the sorting.  
> Oh! All parts of the story that are underlined are quotes from the book. Heres my source: https://genius.com/Jk-rowling-harry-potter-and-the-philosophers-stone-ch-7-the-sorting-hat-annotated  
> Hey, what house do you think Harry is going to be sorted into? What's your reasoning?  
> I hope you liked it!


	3. The Sorting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. I really hate virtual school and I'm working up to my finals, so that will hopefully be over soon. I've also been writing more, and I've posted two new stories. Their both Pokemon fanfics, and I would really appreciate it if you checked them out!  
> Just like before, the underlined parts are quotes from the book (maybe, hopefully), and no, I don't own Harry Potter. It would be very different otherwise.  
> Anyway, enjoy:

While the ceiling was interesting, Harry knew that he would have seven years to study it. What he really wanted to know was where Clara was. He could feel several pairs of eyes on him and figured that at least one pair had to be Clara’s frigid purple irises, so he began to track the feelings back to their owners. 

(Clara had been interested in his ability to sense others’ presence and emotions so naturally, since he had said that he had always been able to do so, even when he hadn’t wanted to be able to. Clara had said that it was probably a latent ability that he could learn to control with some training in the “mind arts”. He was looking forward to it.)

Two pairs of eyes had belonged to the duo that were following him; Zambini and Nott. That wasn’t all that surprising, given their attempts to start conversations with him. Though Nott’s face was slightly red, and Zambini had a slight twinkle in his eyes. What was up with that?

Two other pairs of eyes came from some of his soon-to-be year-mates; a blond and a redhead. Harry didn’t understand why they were staring at him, though he did remember them from the train. They were two of the people that had let themselves into Clara and his compartment without knocking or excusing themselves. He decided he didn’t like them much.

Three pairs of eyes came from what he assumes to be the teacher’s table. 

One pair came from a dark-colored man with a pale complexion, who seems to have a permanent scowl on his face. The second pair came from the twitchy man with the turban that he had met in the Leaky Cauldron with Hagrid, Professor Quirrel. He didn’t seem so twitchy now. The last pair came from the man at the center of the table. He looked old and eccentric in all the wrong places. His hair was inappropriately long and his clothes were so garish and muggle-storybook cliche that it had to be a joke. No one would ever dress like that unless it was a joke or they would have to be crazy and color-blind. 

The last pair of eyes (that were of any relevance) belonged to Clara. She noticed when Harry had met her eyes and she smiled at him. Gently. Encouragingly. It felt amazing... to be looked at like that... for the first time in his memory. He sighed. He couldn’t wait for their next talk about it… anything and everything.

Unfortunately, his thoughts were interrupted when Clara looked towards the teacher’s table, turning her head slowly. Harry was irritated, but knew that this could be important, so he complied with her silent request. 

He turned to see Professor McGonagall placing a  four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool, she put a pointed wizard's hat. This Hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty.  Harry twitched at the state of the hat, his learned OCD making him want to clean it till it looked new. 

Harry was silently cursing his Aunt Petunia when the Hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth -- and  the Hat began to sing:

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter Hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffis are true And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

if you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The whole hall burst into applause as the Hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.

While Harry contributed to the clapping, he did so contemplatively. Clara hadn’t told him how the students got sorted, saying that it was a secret, but she did hint that it had to do with the mind arts. He wondered how the Hat would use the mind arts to sort them, reviewing their memories and past choices perhaps? 

Professor McGonagall then stepped forward, holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the Hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"

Harry watched as a  pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down.  He had thought that perhaps the Hat would simply review their memories before choosing a place for them to go, but he could see the girl’s hands and shoulders twitch a bit. So perhaps that isn’t all that the Hat does...

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the Hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

“Hmm…” As the sorting continued, Harry noticed that the time it took the Hat to sort them varied between students. Some of them were sorted quickly, like there was only one house that that student could fit into. Some took a bit of time, like the Hat couldn’t decide or there was more than one house that that student could fit into. 

Harry thought that made sense, considering that people are very complicated and there were more than four personality types. It would be stupid to think that some could only fit or belong to one house based solely on their personality. 

“Nott, Theodore!”

Toxic green eyes followed the pale boy up to the stool and watched him put on the Hat elegantly, like that grimy old thing was a bejeweled crown or something. He wasn’t surprised when the Hat quickly called out “SLYTHERIN!” after resting on the boy’s head. Clara had said that Slytherin and Gryffindor were the most theatrical of the four houses, and Nott was cautious when trying to get information out of him. Harry could see him fitting into the den of snakes. 

Harry felt Zambini move closer to his side as he watched the next couple of first years get sorted. He was intrigued by the pair of twins that got sent into separate houses. He wondered why…

"Potter, Harry!"

As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.

"Potter, did she say?"

“The Harry Potter?"

He walked confidently towards the stools and the hat, seeing no reason to act meek and shy, especially with Clara’s eyes on him. He could feel their soft warmth on the back of his neck, so very different, so much kinder than the piercing stares of everyone else. 

The last thing he saw before the Sorting Hat slipped over his eyes, was Clara’s warm and gentle and safe and encouraging smile and eyes. He swore she glowed in the candlelight. He swore he saw the flicker of… something… around her frame, encircling her in a halo. 

And then it went black. 

‘Hmm,’ echoed a small voice through his mind.  ‘Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, my goodness, yes -- and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... So where shall I put you?’

‘I wish to be placed in Ravenclaw.’ 

‘Oh~ do you now… hmm… yes, I can see it. You have recently rediscovered your thirst for knowledge, the joy of learning. Just this morning, in fact. You would take Hogwarts by storm, especially with Ms. Beldom as your guide.

‘But…’

‘But what?’ Harry replied sharply, irritated that it was taking so long.

‘But, with your renewed thirst for knowledge, your thirst to prove yourself has grown. Your sense of ambition has grown and… oh my… you would make a very good Gryffindor or Hufflepuff as well… Hmm.. yes, very difficult…’

Harry sighed out loud, unknowingly drawing more attention from the other occupants in the Great hall. ‘Yes, yes, you said that already. Why don’t you tell me why I’m so difficult to sort.’

The Hat seemed to be pleased by this though. ‘Well, you see, you’ve got qualities of all of the houses. You have the thirst and love of knowledge of a Ravenclaw, the cunning, self-preservation and ambition of a Slytherin, the chivalry and bravery of a Gryffindor, and the work ethic and open-mindedness of a Hufflepuff. 

‘But you hoard your knowledge, both the knowledge itself and the source of it. You don’t care for appearances or pretenses, except when it suits you. You don’t care for what others believe are “right” or “wrong” or “good” or “evil”, except when it suits you. You are loyal, but you don’t give it away and you don’t forgive those that break it. 

‘You are pragmatic and a realist. 

‘You came into the Wizarding World with a plan. To act like a happy, carefree, meek, child and slide by and go with the flow. You had been numb and uncaring of life and what your future could have been. You saw the world in greys. 

‘No one noticed, you had become a master of your mask. Of the emotions you displayed to others. And then you met Ms. Beldom. 

‘She instantly captivated you, though you don’t know why. Your memories show that you saw no color, but then you were able to see all of the colors within that compartment. 

‘She breathed life into your cold heart. She warmed you. She inspires you. She sparked your emotions awake. You wish to protect her, to be by her side for as long as you can. And you know that you can’t pretend around her, you feel like she’s freed you. 

‘You want to be her Knight. You want her to be your… Lord, your Lady of Colors.’

Harry was silent, processing. 

It was true. 

He had always felt that he wasn’t… enough of something. Like he was just drifting through his life. Like he had no control. Like he had given up. 

Harry knows that he used to see colors, that those emotions he had seen when he was younger, before he gave up, had colors. They were the only colors he was able to see. But then he started to numb himself to others, and the colors turned grey. The colorful rainbow of emotions had turned grey and bleak. Those emotions that he felt from others, he had never felt them in himself until… he met Clara. 

He had been surprised, shocked really, that she and her surroundings had had color. It had been the first time he had seen color in… years… he didn’t know how long. And they hadn’t really been her colors, her emotions, either. It was like her colors reflected what she saw, not what she felt. It was utterly fascinating. 

And then they talked, and she made him feel. For the first time in years, he felt something… positive. Not fear. Not hunger. Not pain. Not anger. But joyful surprise, and he had laughed! When was the last time he had laughed… 

Harry shook his head lightly. He knew what he wanted. 

‘I want to protect her. I want to help her. I want to learn from her. I want to be by her side. I want to laugh with her. I want to smile with her. I want to share memories with her. 

‘I want to be her friend, her companion.

‘I want to be in Ravenclaw because it would make it easier for us to meet up. I- We would have easy access to each other. I want to be in the same house as her because Clara is there.

‘I don’t quite understand what you mean by her being my “Lady of Colors” or me wanting to be her “Knight”. But I know what I want. 

‘And I want to be in Ravenclaw.’

They were silent. One waiting, the other thinking. 

And then the Hat said:

“BETTER BE -”

**Author's Note:**

> Bye~~, hope you liked it.


End file.
